Reflections and observations on the expatriate experience from an American scientist living and working in the Netherlands.

Tuesday, June 17, 2014

Its WC time again!

The World Cup has started in Brazil this week: the Dutch won a delightful match against the prior Cup winner, Spain, 5-1 on Friday. It was fun to watch: highlights for all of the Dutch games can be seen here and the schedule is here.

The last World Cup was in 2010, a lifetime ago. The Dutch always put the matches up on big screens in the town squares, and everyone dresses in orangje and drinks a lot of biertje. When things go well, we all wave arms in the air and sing happy songs. When things go badly, we link arms and sway and sing sad songs. The revelry goes long into the night.

It’s all great fun and good memories.

My son was over for the match when I still lived in Arnhem. He thought it was the best party ever. We mounted Dutch flags on the Beamer and he pined for Dutch women in the chanting crowds.

Later, it was a party in Maastricht for the 2010 match, the Dutch unexpectedly making it to the finals before losing 1-0 to Spain.

So, with this win, revenge is sweet. As are the memories, tinged with wistful.